Fountain-pen.



No. 638,779. Patented Dec. l2, I899.

' A. A. WATERMAN.

FOUNTAIN PEN.

(Application filed Aug. 16, 1899.)

(No Model.)

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v ing-point practically without retardation.

Nrrnn STATES PATENT FFICE.

ARTHUR A. \VATERMAN, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

FOUNTAIN-PEN.

' SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 638,779, datedDecember 12, 1899.

Application filed August 16, 1 8 9 9.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR A. WATERMAN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Boston, county of Suifolk, State of Massachusetts, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Fountain-Pens, of whichthe following is such a full, clear, and exact description as willenable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming partof this specification.

My invention relates to writing-pens having a reservoir or fountain forsupplying the writing-pointthereof withink; and the principal object ofmy invention is to provide a fountain or reservoir pen with means forkeeping the ink-duct moist and in which the ink always stands ready toflow from the writing-point, so that when starting to write with the penafter it has remained unused for a time the ink immediately flows fromthe writ- To these ends myinvention consists in the various novel andpeculiar arrangements and combinations of the several parts of thedevice, all as hereinafter fully described, and then pointed out in theclaims.

I have illustrated types of myinvention in the accompanying drawings,wherein- Figure l is a view of my improved fountainpen, shown with theupper part of the reservoir-barrel in side elevation, while theremaining parts of the pen are shown in longitu'dinal vertical section.Fig. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the ink-feeder of theconstruction shown in Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a crosssection on line 3 3, Fig.2. Fig. 4is a perspective view of the detached reed which forms part ofthe ink-feeder. Fig. 5 is a plan view of the ink-feeder shown in Figs. 1and 2, but with the reed omitted to show clearly the formation of thegroove in the feeder. Figs. 6 and 7 are perspective views of a modifiedform of the ink-feeder, showing the same without the reed and with thereed, respectively. This form of ink-feeder is adapted to be used withan ordinary metallic writing-pen. Fig. 8 is a central longitudinalsectional view, on a reduced scale, of the fountain-pen in which is usedthe form of ink-feeder shown in Figs.

6 and 7, together with an ordinary metallic Serial No. 727,347. (Nomodel.)

writing-pen, the main portion of the reservoir barrel or holder beingomitted. Figs. 9 and and 10 are cross-sections of modified forms of theink-feeder, in the former of which the longitudinal groove has a roundedbottom and in the latter of which the longitudinal groove has a Vshapedbottom throughout its length.

Referring to the drawings, in which like numbers of reference indicatelike parts throughout, 2 is a bar made of suitable ma terial-snch, forexample, as hard rubber the inner end 3 of which is made preferablycylindrical to fit within a suitable holder, while the outer end of thebar is cut away on its exterior or reduced to make it more shapely. Theextreme end of the baris pointed, so as to provide at l what I term afwritingpoint. The upper side of the bar is provided with a longitudinalgroove 5 of practically uniform width and extending from the inner endof the bar to, or near to, the outer end of the bar, where it contractsand terminates at 6. Between the outer end 6 of the groove 5 and thewriting-point 4 there is a channel or slit 7, which connects these twoparts, so that the ink may be drawn from the outer end of the groove 5through the channel to the writing-point 4. This channel 7 is made inthe form of a fine capillary slit, as will be understood from Figs. 1,2, and 5. The bottom of the groove 5 at its inner end slopes downwardlytoward such end, as indicated at 8.

IVithin the groove 5 I suspend a thin reed 9, which may be made of anysuitable material-such, for instance, as hard rubber. This reed ispreferably made fiat and tapers toward its outer end to a point. It isarranged longitudinally within the groove, so as to extend practicallythroughout the length thereof'and lies near the bottom and side walls ofthe groove, so as to provide a comparatively narrow capillary subchamber1O beneath the reed, and also the ink-supply duct 11 above the reed,which duct is of comparatively large cross-sectional area.

Between the edges and end of the reed 9 and the walls of the groove 5there is a thin capillary passage 12, through which the ink is drawnfrom the subchamber beneath the reed, so as to moisten the walls of theduct 11 and also the upper surface of the reed 9 when such subchamber isfilled with ink.

The reed 9 is mounted in fixed position by forming the same with thelateral projections 13, whiclrare inserted by sliding movement into theslots or recesses let, formed horizontally in the inner end of the bar2. The reed may thus be mounted and dismounted by sliding itlongitudinally in or out of the inner end of the groove in the bar, thelateral extensions 13 fitting sufficiently sung in the slots 14 to holdthe reed in place.

The outer and main part of the groove 5 has the bottom thereof formedV-shaped in cross-section, as indicated at 15, while the bottom of thegroove at its innerend is formed flat, as shown at 16, and this flatpart slopes downwardly at 8 to the inner end of the bar. (See Figs. 1,6, and 8.) There is thus provided beneath the reed 9 a capillarysubchamber the cross-section of the main part of which is triangular inshape, while the shape of the inner end thereof is rectangular incross-section, and it increases in its cross-sectional area toward theinner end by reason of the sloping bottom thereof. This formation of thebottom of the subchamber is the preferred form, though,if desired, thebottom of this chamber may be rounded throughout its length, as at 17 inFig. 9, or it may be formed V-shaped, as at 18, Fig. 10.

From the foregoing description it will be understood that when, as shownin Fig. 8, an ordinary fountain-penholder having a cylindricalreservoir-barrel 20, closed at its upper end against the admission ofair, is fitted with a nozzle 19, into which the inner end 3 of myfeed-bar is inserted, has been filled with ink and the whole pen is putinto the writing positioni. 8., with the pen-point down the ink in thereservoir is first induced to run into the feed-bar by the peculiarformation of the duct 11, with its reed 9 and'the subchamber 10. The inkbeing thus drawn into the capillary subehamber 10 and filling the sameis drawn up around the edges of the reed 9 and the end thereof throughthe narrow capillary passage 12, so that it moistens the walls of theink-supply duct 11 above the reed 9 and also moistens the upper surfaceof the reed 9. This moistening of the walls of the duct 11 is therebymaintained while the pen is not in use, so that whenever the point ofthe slit metallic writing-pen 21 is applied to and moved over the papera supply of ink for free writing flows along the duct 11 by the actionof gravity. Vhen thus used in connection with the ordinary split-nibpen, the ink is taken from the lower part of the duct 11 through theslit 22 of the pen of the writing-point, and this flow is practicallyinstantaneous and kept up throughout the use of the pen. As a vacuum inthe reservoir is prevented by the admission of air through the hole inthe nibbed pen, such supply of air passes upward in the form of bubblesthrough the duct 11.

When the pen is laid aside, the bulk of ink leaves the supply-duct 11;but the capillary subchamber 10 retains the ink, likewise the capillarypassage 12,which skirts the reed 9, so that the walls of the supply-duct11 will thereby continually be kept moistened with ink. In thusmaintaining the walls of the ink-supply duct moist with ink while thepen is not in use I provide a very desirable construction, as the penmay be written with immediately upon taking it up after it has been laidaside for some time out of use.

In use after the duct 11 is filled with ink the amount of ink spread onthe paper by the writin g-poi nt varies with the fineness or coarsenessof the writing-point, and it is further affected by the degree ofseparation of the split nibs, whether they are flexible, as whenmetalnibbed pens are used, as already described, or whether the nibs areunyielding, as when the writing-poin ts are but a part of the feed-baritself,as in Fig. 1,which feed-bar, having acapillary slit 7 in itspoint, is used without an additional nibbed writing-point for thepurpose of ruling lines as well as for writing. In thus using the devicethe capillary slit 7 is held uppermostindrawingafineline. Toincrease thewidth of the line, the bar is turned so as bring the capillary slit '7on the under side, and by varying the angle of the edge of the slit '7with the paper the line may be varied in width. By placing the edge ofthe slit 7 in contact with the paper and moving the bar laterally acrossthe same a very broad line will be produced. The device may thus beused, further, as a ruling or lining pen, even when not used with areservoir, by dipping it in the ink, when it will take up and retain aquantity of ink sufficiently large to do considerable drawing withoutredipping in the ink.

The bar 2 being inserted in a suitable holder it projects therefrom asuitable distance, and in using it with a ruler to make'lines the lowerend of the holder may be kept in contact with the edge of the ruler,thereby preventing the liability of inking the ruler.

When using the feed-bar without a metallic-nibbed pen covering the duct11, the bar is usually inserted into the nozzle 19 a little farther, sothat the duct 11 filled with ink will not be exposed to and aifected bythe air for so great a distance. In this case the airbubbles that passinto the reservoir to prevent a vacuum then enter at the edge of thenozzle 19, and consequently have less distance to travel in the duct 11than when they enter the duct farther down through a hole in themetallic-nibbed pen.

I wish to be understood as not limiting my invention to the particularconstruction of the various parts of my improved pen herein set forth,as the same may be variously modified without departing from the spiritof the invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, is

1. An ink-feeder for a pen the same consisting in a bar provided with alongitudinal groove extending along one side thereof, a divisional reeddisposed longitudinallyin said groove near the walls thereof anddividing the same into a comparatively arrow capillary subchamberbeneath said reed and an ink-supply duct above said reed of acomparatively large cross-sectional area, and a capillary passageextending along the side of said reed and connecting said subchamberwith the said ink-supply duct, whereby said ink-supply duct isconstantly maintained moist while the pen is not in use for quicklystarting the flow of ink in said ink-supply duct when the pen is used,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. An ink-feeder for a pen the same consisting in a bar provided with alongitudinal groove extending along one side thereof, a divisional reeddisposed longitudinally in said groove near the walls thereof anddividing the same into a comparatively narrow capillary subchamberbeneath said reed and an ink-supply duct above said reed of acomparatively large cross-sectional area, said reed being suspended byone end while the other end remains free, and a capillary passageextending along each side of said reed and connectingsaid subchainberandthesaidink-supply duct,whereby said ink-supply duct is constantlymaintained moist while the pen is not in use for quickly starting theflow of ink in said ink-supply duct when the pen is used, substantiallyas and for the purpose set forth.

3. An ink-feeder for a pen the same consisting in a bar provided with alongitudinal groove extending along one side thereof, a divisional reeddisposed longitudinally in said groove near the walls thereof anddividing the same into a comparatively narrow capillary subchamberbeneath said reed and an ink-supply duct above said reed of a com--paratively large cross-sectional area, the said reed being provided ator near its inner end with oppositely-extending lateral projections,slits or cavities formed in the walls of said groove at or near theinner end thereof for receiving the said lateral projections on the reedto sustain the reed in place, and a capillary passage extending alongeach side of said reed and connecting said subchamber and the saidink-supply duct, whereby said ink-supply duct is constantly maintainedmoist while the pen is not in use for quickly starting the flow of inkin said ink-supply duct when the pen is used, substantially as and forthe purpose set forth.

4.. An ink-feeder for a pen the same consisting in a bar provided with alongitudinal groove extending along one side thereof, the bottom of saidgroove toward its outer end being formed V-shaped in cross-section whilethe bottom thereof at the inner end is formed flat, a divisional reedplaced longitudinally in said groove near the bottom thereof andsuspended therein by its inner end and dividing said groove into acomparatively narrow capillary subchamber beneath said reed and anink-supply duct above said reed of a comparatively large cross-sectionalarea, and a capillary passage at each side of said reed connecting saidsubchamber and the said inksupply duct, whereby said ink-supply duct isconstantly maintained moist while the'pen is not in use for quicklystarting the flow of ink in said ink-supply duct when the pen is used,substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

5. An ink-feeder for a pen the same consisting in a bar provided with alongitudinal groove extending to near the outer end thereof, a channelformed in the outer end of said bar and extending from said longitudinalgroove to the tip of said bar, a reed disposed longitudinally in saidgroove near the walls thereof whereby there is provided a narrowcapillary subchamloer beneath said reed for supplying the ink to saidchannel in the outer end of the bar, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

6. A fountain-pen comprising a bar formed at its outer end with awriting-point and provided upon one side with a longitudinal inkgrooveextending nearly to said writing-point so as to leave a portion of thebar between the outer end of said groove and the said writing-point, anarrow capillary channel extending through the portion of the bar lyingbetween the said writing-point and the outer end of said ink-groove andconnecting said groove with the writing-point to supply the ink to suchpoint, a reed lying within saidinkgroove, substantially as and for thepurpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand, this 7th day of July,1899, in the presence of the two subscribing witnesses! ARTHUR A.WVATERMAN.

\Vitnesses:

GUY H. HOLLIDAY,

WARREN P. JACKSON.

